A visit to the rather curious Happisburgh
A visit to the rather curious Happisburgh
A simple 3 mile circular walk along the Norfolk Coast between Happisburgh and Eccles
On this occasion we only walked from Happisburgh to Eccles and back which was a distance of a mere 3 miles. The reason for this fleeting visit was that we were on our way through to North Norfolk and wanted to take the opportunity of a low tide to be able to walk the beach in front of what is left of Happisburgh. The previous times I have walked this section of the coast the tide has never been sufficiently out to allow navigation along the beach, which is littered with the tangled remains of numerous structures that have attempted to defend the village from the constant onslaught of the sea. The visit was well worth the excursion and the mangled wreckage below the cliffs a true sight to behold displaying exactly what the sea is capable of doing. Happisburgh has been under attack from the waves for centuries and a few remaining houses hang precariously on the cliff top. This days walk was made into a circular route by returning at the village of Eccles along the top of the cliffs though you can continue as far as you like through to Horsey... and beyond!
Essential Information
Walk Statistics:
Total Walk distance: 15 miles
Section Distance - Happisburgh to Eccles return: 3.0 miles
Section Distance - Happisburgh to Sea Palling return: 10.0 miles
Walk difficulty: Easy
Maps:
OS Map: OS Explorer Map Sheet OL40 The broads
OS Route Map: Full screen plot of route on an OS map
Google Route Map: Full screen plot of route on a Google map
Walk Data
Date of Walk: 2011-07-15
Start Time: 13:30:00.0Z
End time: 15:00:00.0Z
Walkers: Griffmonster, Kat
Weather Conditions: Warm day, plenty of sunshine
Equipment: none
Start Time: 13:30:00.0Z
End time: 15:00:00.0Z
Walkers: Griffmonster, Kat
Weather Conditions: Warm day, plenty of sunshine
Equipment: none
Walk Notes ToC
This was only a short walk, maximum of 3 miles and not up to our usual exertions. The reason for this was that on the occasions that I have walked the length of Norfolks East Coast, I have never been able to walk along the beach at Happisburgh due to the state of the tide. It is only possible to walk along this beach at low tide and I had noticed that on a this proposed journey to Sheringham for the Beer Festival we would pass Happisburgh at a suitable time to attempt such a walk.
This also gave the advantage of obtaining a 'stamp' for the Woordfordes Ale Trail from the Hill House pub in the village, a notably fine pub which is always a pleasure to visit. On this occasion, we sat outside at one of the benches in front of the pub. By the side of us was a ladder leant up against the wall of the pub and a chap busy preparing the white painted brickwork ready for a new coat. During his preparations he had discovered, under the existing paintwork, the remains of the old Morgans Brewery lettering above the pub door. Morgans was an old Norwich brewery who started brewing in 1720 in Kings Street in Norwich. At their height in the early 1900's they had some 600 tied houses across Norfolk. The brewery was bombed during the war resulting in their brewing operations being undertaken by other brewers before their brewery was rebuilt and back in business by 1950. The brewery went into voluntary liquidation in 1961 and was soon sold to Watney Mann with brewing eventually ceasing in April 1962. It is so good to see that this heritage is being preserved, at least until the sea claims it as her own. An interesting addendum to this story is that during the 1940's, following a yeast infection, Adnams acquired some fresh yeast from Morgans which is still being used today. So, each time you sup on a pint of Adnams beer then you have a little taste of Morgans preserved there.
WARNING: as from early 2012 the sea had claimed more of the cliff rendering the metal steps to the beach useless. The steps now sit proudly mid beach with no link to the cliff top. I have also heard reports that the sand ramp on the southern side of Happisburgh has now been eroded making it difficult to get down to the beach. If you plan to walk south along the beach from Cromer or Mundesley be aware that the tide could now easily cut you off at Happisburgh. Access to the clifftop is at Bacton in the north or Eccles in the south. Be sure to consult the tide times when walking this section. See Big Sky Productions blog for photos of the recent erosion plus the demolition of the clifftop houses.
More storms in October 2013 have bought more damage to the cliffs at Happisburgh. The EDP have a gallery of photos of the storm.
Happisburgh church
Directions ToC
From the Car Park at Happisburgh walk through the north end towards the camp and caravan site. The pub is just off the track leading into the site. There is a metal stairway leading down to the beach from the caravan site. This is a little scary if you dont have a head for heights! There is a mass of broken sea defences in front of the Happisburgh cliffs but it is possible to get past this at low tide. Walk down to Eccles where there are ample ways back up and along the cliff. Walking further along the beach will eventually get you to Horsey. Return can either be along the dunes or following the tracks and lanes.
On the left Happisburgh Lighthouses; On the right Archaeological dig on Happisburgh beach
Pubs ToC
Hiil House, Happisburgh View in OS Map | View in Google Map
This family-friendly 16th century coaching inn with its woodburning stove and pictures of bygone days offers an excellent range of food and selection of ales. The pub includes a restaurant room, a family room and a beer garden. Accommodation is supplied in a 1901 signal box behind the pub. It is said that this was built as part of the planned but never completed expansion of Great Eastern Railway from North Walsham to Great Yarmouth. It is not stated exactly why the signal box was built before any railway had been laid!
Two plaques on the exterior pub wall commemorate the fact that Arthur Conan Doyle stayed at the pub in 1903 and wrote parts of 'The Dancing Men' at the pub.
The pub hosts a 'summer solstice' beer festival each year.
Review
A good pint of Woodfordes First Bittern.
On the left Hill House Happisburgh; On the right Erosion at Happisburgh
Features ToC
Happisburgh Lighthouses View in OS Map | View in Google Map
Wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happisburgh_Lighthouse
After a severe storm in the winter of 1789 which resulted in the loss of 70 sailing ships and 600 men off the Norfolk coast it was decided that there was insufficient warning lights between the fire beacon at Cromer and the candle powered light at Winterton. To address this situation Trinity House undertook the building of two lighthouses at Happisbrugh. The low lighthouse was built on the clifftop with the high lighthouse, which is currently still standing was built further back and these gave leading lights marking safe passage around the southern end of the treacherous Happisburgh Sands. The lower light was eventually threatened by the erosion of the cliffs and was withdrawn from service and demolished in 1833. Despite threatened closure by Trinity House in 1988, a campaign headed by Kay Swan, a Marine Geophysicist and local resident, resulted in the high light becoming the only independently run operational lighthouse in Great Britain with the Happisburgh Lighthouse Trust being established as a Local Light Authority. The Trust is a registered Charity governed by six appointed Trustees who are responsible under the Act of Parliament for operating and maintaining the Light.
The Happisburgh Poisoner View in OS Map | View in Google Map
In the mid 19th century it is said that a certain Jonathon Balls was the person responsible for several deaths in the village. At the time he was 77 years old and he and his wife Elizabeth were supported by parochial relief. The sudden deaths of four of his grandchildren and his wife gave rise to rumours of their being poisoned in order that his parents might be better able to support him. Jonathon Balls died soon after in similar circumstances and at an inquest it was found that all had died from the effects of poison, but there was no evidence as to how it was administered.
Johnathon Balls was buried in Happisburgh churchyard and legend has it that knowing his soul was bound for Hell, he asked to be buried with a Bible and a plum cake in one hand, plus a poker and a pair of coal-tongues in the other. In those days it was common practice to bury evil people and suicides in unhallowed ground, usually at a crossroads, for fear that they would become vampires after death. Therefore, six months after he was buried, his body was exhumed in order to relocate it and it was found to be perfectly preserved. Maybe it was the arsenic which he had taken at ever increasing does or maybe he it was the fact that he had, indeed, become a vampire. What happened to his body no-one knows but there is an unmarked grave that stands in the churchyard which is said to be that of Johnathon Balls.
The Pump Hill ghost View in OS Map | View in Google Map
Way back in the year of 1765 two farmers making their way home along Whimpwell Street encountered a spectre in the moonlight. This hump-backed figure, dressed in sailors attire and carrying a rough brown sack at its chest, drifted along without any legs and the hump on his back was formed by its partially severed head. A gruesome sight indeed. Despite the fear the farmers plucked up courage and followed the spectre to Well Corner where it disappeared into the well.
The next day, after informing the authorities, it was decided to investigate the well. Using a grappling hook the villages pulled out a sack similar to the one the farmers had seen being carried by the spectre. Even more surprising, inside this was a pair of boots with the legs and feet still intact. This find resulted in the well being drained and another sack was discovered, this one containing a torso dressed in sailors garb with a partially severed head and a pistol tucked into a belt around the waist.
Further investigations tracing the steps of the spectre from whence it had came resulted in the signs of a struggle with bloodstains and broken bottles on the ground and a similar pistol found at a spot near Cart Gap. Such evidence suggested a confrontation between smugglers with the unfortunate victim being cut up and thrown down the well.
The apparition would regularly appear on moonlit nights with frequent sounds of moaning emanating from the well until it was eventually capped by a pump. This resulted in the cessation of the hauntings until the pump was removed and the manifestations resumed. The pump was replaced and kept there for many years. Eventually the pump was removed once again and once again the haunting returned. So the ghost became known as The Pump hill Ghost.
Erosion at Happisburgh
Images ToC
Below are a selection of images taken from from the photo album for this walk. There are links to the entire photo album plus a slideshow of all the images. Feel free to browse through these or click on any image to view a larger version in the Gallery.
View complete photo album
Click on an image below to view the Image Gallery
Summary of Document Changes
Last Updated: 2013-10-11+01:00
2012-05-05 : add in warning note about the cliff erosionn and access to the beach
2013-10-11 : add in link to EDP photo gallery of October 2013 storms
2 comments:
These sites may be relevant for those interested in Happisburgh.
http://bigskyproductions-jonno.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/broads-under-threat.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsb-OwPw7lU&feature=plcp
regards
Jonno
Thanks for the links Jonno - I have got a link to your blog post in the Walk Notes of this but the more links the better!
GRiFF
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